breakfast

Spiced Apple Oatmeal

October 24, 2014

Fall weather means (or almost) sweater weather. :)
However…it also means lots of heart-warming fall flavours aka cinnamon, nutmeg, apples, pumpkin, spice and everything nice!

So, I am sharing with you guys a heart-warming breakfast for a guaranteed great start to a chilly Fall day: spiced apple oatmeal.  It basically tastes like a delicious APPLE PIE IN A BOWL but with a bit more spice (because I loooove cinnamon)!  This recipe can be vegetarian and vegan friendly if you omit the egg whites.


The thing I love about oatmeal is that you can top them with whatever you want!  I topped my spiced apple oatmeal with a dried fig, apple slices, granola, coconut, dark chocolate, almond butter and some almonds.  If you really want...you could even sprinkle some more cinnamon on top!


Chow & Enjoy!

Spiced Apple Oatmeal
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 Serves 1

1/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup oats
1 apple (cut half of the apple into cubes)
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 to 2 tbsp rainsins/sultanas
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
Optional:1/4 cup egg whites for some extra protein


Pour almond milk and water into a pot.  Stir in cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.  Bring the liquid and spices to a boil. Stir in oats, cubed apples and apple sauce.  Turn the heat down to low and let the oats and apple cook for about 10-15 minutes or until they're fluffy and cooked.  You can add a splash of almond milk if you like (to thin it out).  After the oats are cooked and apple is soft, stir in raisins/sultanas, vanilla extract and egg whites (if using). Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the other half of the apple and use them to top off your oatmeal. Serve warm.

dinner

Leek & Mushroom Quiche with Quinoa Crust

September 15, 2014

This is my first vegan recipe on this blog!  Fresh organic leeks were on sale at a local grocery store and I really wanted to use them to make a quiche!  However, most quiche crusts require a lot of butter and oil and I wanted to avoid that.  So, I did some browsing on the internet and found a recipe for a quinoa crust!  The quinoa crust is obviously not as flaky or buttery as a regular quiche pie crust but hey, the additional nutrients and the totally delicious filling makes up for it!  Using a "healthified" crust makes this dish a perfect option for a healthy and pleasing lunch or dinner!




The toasted pine nuts add a nice crunch to the quiche.  They also give the quiche a nutty and buttery flavour, which is nice since this quiche does not use butter!




Vegan Leek Quiche with Quinoa Crust
Adapted from Jane Green
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For the crust:
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 tbsp flax seeds
2 tbsp oat flour
Thyme, basil, or herbs of your choice
Salt & pepper

For the filling:
1 pkg firm tofu, pressed and drained
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp turmeric
½ teaspoon himalayan salt
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil
1 ½ fresh leeks, sliced
5 to 6 white mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup roasted pine nuts

To form the crust, mix quinoa, flax seeds, oat flour, and herbs together.  Season to taste.  Grease a flan tin (or a glass pie plate) and press the crust mixture into the base and up the sides.  Make sure you press firmly and evenly.

Add water to a saucepan and steam the leeks for around 10 minutes.  Drain the excess water.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil into the saucepan and add the mushrooms.  Sauté the leeks and mushrooms until mushrooms are cooked.  Set aside.

Combine tofu and the next 6 ingredients (tofu through lemon) in a blender or food processor.  Puree until smooth.  Mix in the leeks and mushrooms.

Poor filling into the crust and sprinkle some pine nuts over top.  Garnish with a few slices of leek.  Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350F.  Serve warm.


Chow & Enjoy!

brunch

Healthy Frittata for One

August 25, 2014

Frittatas are one of my go tos for a quick and healthy lunch or brunch.  Another thing that makes frittatas so great is the fact that you can basically add whatever you want to it...meaning it is the perfect recipe to use your leftovers or for a fridge clean-up! If you are not a fan of eating too many eggs than you can always whisk together 1 whole egg + 2 egg whites.


Healthy Frittata for One
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 makes 1 serving 

½ small yellow onion, diced
1 bella mushroom, thinly sliced
small handful of kale, teared into tiny pieces
spring onion, chopped
¼ jalepño pepper, chopped (optional)
oregano
black pepper
¼ cup tofu
nutritional yeast + soy milk, mixed OR laughing cow cheese wedge
2 eggs, whisked
olive oil (or any kind of cooking oil)
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat the cast iron skillet on medium heat.  When heated, add a bit of olive oil (or any oil of your choice), approx. ½ tsp.  Place the chopped onion and mushroom slices in the pan.  Cook until the onions are translucent.  Turn the heat to medium-low and add the kale and spring onion.  Season with seasonings of your choice.  Cook until the kale is soft.  Spread vegetables into an even layer and add the nutritional yeast mix/cheese on top.  Poor the eggs over the vegetables, tilting the pan to make sure that the egg is spread evenly over the vegetables.  Crumble the tofu on top and sprinkle on the jalapeño pepper.  Cook for about 1 or 2 minutes, until the egg at the edges of the pan start to set.  

Transfer the entire skillet into the oven and bake for about 8 minutes.  When ready, take the skillet out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes before digging in!


Chow and enjoy!

coconut

Baked Mango Coconut Curry Cod Fish

July 02, 2014


One thing that my dad and I have in common is that we love adding curry in our cooking!  Which is why there is always curry powder in our kitchen pantry haha.  I especially love curry dishes on cold days because they warm me up from the inside (aka ma belly hehe).  This dish is a bit on the spicy side (because my family LOVES the spice) but you can always add more or less curry powder to suit your taste.  However, the mango does give a nice sweet contrast to the spice from the curry.  The preparation for this recipe is also very simple and does not take much time, so it can easily be made for family dinners or even for your friends!




Baked Mango Coconut Curry Cod Fish on top of mixed greens and quinoa.
Freshly baked and out of the oven...well a portion has been taken already lol.


Baked Mango Coconut Curry Cod Fish 
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Yields: 4-6 servings 

Olive oil
Approximately 1lb. fresh cod fish fillet(s)
Salt & Pepper

For the Mango Coconut Curry Sauce:
½ tbsp. yellow curry powder
1 tsp tumeric
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 mango, mashed
1 mango, cubed
¼ onion
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp coconut milk


Brush 1 tsp of olive oil onto the cod fish.  Lightly season with salt and pepper.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Celsius.  Bake the cod fish for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, sauté the ginger and onion with a little bit of olive oil on medium low heat.  When onion is translucent, turn the heat to low.  Add 2 tbsp of milk.  Next, add the mashed mango, the curry powder, turmeric, cinnamon and desiccated coconut.  Let simmer for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring every so often (so the mango doesn’t stick to the pot/burn!).  Then, turn off the heat.  Remove the pot from the heat and scoop approx. ¾ of the sauce onto the cod fish.  Place cod fish back into the oven and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until fish is fully cooked through.

Serve on top of grains or greens or both!


Chow and enjoy!

BAKED

Choco-Coconut Berry Baked Oatmeal

June 10, 2014

Although baked oatmeal takes a little more time than oatmeal cooked in a pot, it is totally worth it!

I am so happy that the weather is warming up because it means berries are in season!  I went to Nature's Emporium (a local organic food store) a few days ago and their organic raspberries were on sale so I HAD to get them.

So, in honour of delicious summer berries, I decided to make a baked oatmeal! Of course their had to be chocolate in it too.  Trust me...it is pretty darn delectable. :)




Choco-coconut berry baked oatmeal topped with raspberries, peanut butter, shredded coconut, crushed almonds and dark chocolate pieces.

Choco-Coconut Berry Baked Oatmeal 
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makes 1 serving 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup almond milk
1 egg white
1/2-1 ripe banana, mashed
1 tbsp. shredded coconut
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp. frozen blueberries
3 raspberries, + more for topping
Dark chocolate chips + more for topping (optional)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).  In a bowl, mix the oats, almond milk and egg white together and allow oats to soften up.  Meanwhile, mash your banana.  Once it is roughly mashed, mix the banana with the oats mixture.  Next, add in the shredded coconut, baking powder, and cocoa powder to the oats mixture and combine everything together.  Then, fold in the blueberries and raspberries, allowing the raspberries to crumble and you gently fold them in.  You can also fold in some dark chocolate chips if you like  Grease a baking dish with a little oil and pour in the oats mixture.  Top with raspberries and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until crispy and lightly browned.

Top with any toppings of your choice such as fruits, more shredded coconut, dark chocolate chips, nut butter, etc.!


Chow and enjoy!

breakfast

Vanilla Lemon-Coconut Buckwheat and Oat Porridge

May 30, 2014

One of my most favourite things to have for breakfast is a nice warm bowl of oatmeal.  However, recently I have started mixing up other grains with my oats to change up my mornings!

So why did I add lemon peels into my oatmeal?  Well, my mom knows that I like to place lemon slices into my water but she tells me to not do it often since there is actually a lot of pesticide and what not on the lemon peels.  However, recently we have started to buy organic lemons. So now, she tells me to not waste the lemon peels because we can actually eat them now without eating other nasty unwanted chemicals and get all their nutritional benefits!  Anyways, so I am not hardcore like my mom who eats the lemon peels plain lol.  So, one morning I decided to chop up the lemon peels and tossed them into my oatmeal and it turned out delicious! 





Vanilla Lemon-Coconut Buckwheat and Oat Porridge 
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makes 1 serving 

¾ cup water or coconut water
2 tbsp. rolled oats
2 tbsp. buckwheat groats
1 to 2 tbsp. lemon peel (depending on how strong you want the taste to be), grated or finely chopped
Your milk of choice (I used almond milk)
½ banana, mashed
1 tsp unsweetened coconut shreds
2 drops pure vanilla extract
1 eggwhite
1 tsp. flaxseeds (optional)


Place the rolled oats and buckwheat groats in a pot.  Pour in the water and bring to a boil.  Place the lemon peel into the pot.  Add a splash of your milk of choice.  Then, turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 8 to10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, mash ½ banana if it is not mashed already.  After 8 to 10 minutes, you can add milk if you like a thinner consistency.  Mix in the mashed banana, coconut shreds and vanilla extract and let simmer for another 5 minutes or so.  Next, stir in the eggwhite and keep stirring for around 1 minute or until eggwhite is well mixed in and cooked.  Then, stir in 1 tsp. of flaxseed (optional).

Top with any kind of toppings you like: nuts, fruits, nut butter, granola, hemp seeds, etc.  OR you can just eat it plain and it will taste just as good!
Chow and enjoy!

Chrissy Chows Launch + A Short Introductory

May 22, 2014

Hey there, welcome to Chrissy Chows!


My name is Christie, a 19 year old girl from Canada.  I love to have "foodie adventures" and experiment with/create healthy cooking and baking recipes!  I also love to travel, make art and drink tea.




Inspired by all the amazing pictures of healthy foods on Instagram, I decided to create a blog where I will be sharing healthy recipes as well as healthy living related posts.  In addition, I will also occasionally post about restaurants that I have tried and liked.  Through this blog, I hope to inspire others to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle and to enjoy life!



Chow (hehe get it?),

Christie xx